What the game did not have, for almost its entirety, was anyone who could execute offensively. Haarms, however, had the final say, and Purdue's advantage in one of college basketball's tautest rivalries continued.

Haarms' tie-breaking tip-in with 3.2 seconds left gave the No. 15 the Boilermakers the lead. When Juwan Morgan's deep 3-point try hit the front of the rim at the buzzer, Purdue escaped with a 48-46 victory.

"We just needed to make an extra effort at the end there to get something — any form of advantage — and that offensive rebound ended up being the game," said Haarms, who finished with six points, four rebounds and three blocks.

The season sweep gave Purdue a five-game winning streak over the Hoosiers for the first time since 2011. Of more immediate importance, it elevated the Boilermakers into a first-place tie with Michigan and Michigan State in the Big Ten — all at 12-3.

Indiana led 45-41 after a pair of Langford free throws with 2:32 left. Purdue's Ryan Cline responded at the other end with a 3 from the top of the key that bounced up, then in, cutting the lead to one.

Purdue called a timeout with 44.6 left to set up a play. Edwards drove the lane and scored over Justin Smith to give the Boilermakers a 46-45 lead with 33.7 left.

Langford hit a free throw with 23.1 left to tie it 46-46. Purdue's Matt Painter called his final timeout before the back half of the one-and-one. Langford missed the second half, setting up the Boilermakers' final possession.

Edwards finished with nine points on 4-of-24 shooting and did not make a jump shot. He went 0-for-10 from 3-point range. Langford had made nine straight free throws prior to that miss. Under the attention of Purdue's Nojel Easter, however, the talented freshman did not attempt a field goal in the second half.

The Indiana student section cheers as IU takes the court for warm-ups prior to the start of the Indiana-Purdue game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar

The Indiana student section heckles Purdue as they take the court for warm-ups prior to the start of the Indiana-Purdue game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar

Indiana Hoosiers guard Romeo Langford (0) lays on the court after taking a shot to the face during the Indiana-Purdue game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar

Indiana coach Archie Miller talks with his team during a timeout in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Purdue in Bloomington, Ind., Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. Purdue won 48-46. AJ Mast, AP

Rough stuff

Coaches and fans lobbied the Big Ten for years to protect home-and-home series for rivalries such as Purdue and Indiana. The league finally acquiesced, and beginning this season, the teams are guaranteed two regular-season meetings going forward.

The teams responded Tuesday with one of the worst first halves in the in-state foes' storied rivalry.

Purdue shot 25 percent from the field in the first half and made only 4 of its 18 3-point attempts. Edwards went 0-for-11 and missed all five of his 3s. His only basket came on a put-back in transition.

The Boilermakers also went 1-for-5 at the free throw line and turned the ball over six times. Including last week's games at Maryland and Penn State, it was the fourth straight half in which Purdue's previously uber-efficient offense encountered significant issues.

And yet, Purdue still went into halftime tied 20-20. Indiana made only 23 percent of its shots in the first half and turned it over nine times. The Boilermakers were credited with five steals and six offensive rebounds. But with long droughts of missed jump shots, they could not capitalize on those extra possessions.

The second-half offense did not improve much: 39.3 percent for Purdue, 31 percent for Indiana.

Big menace

Purdue freshman big man Trevion Williams played only two minutes in last Saturday's victory over Penn State after missing practice due to strep throat. Williams said Monday the illness had affected his mental preparation as much as his physical status. However, he returned to practice and prior to Tuesday's game was throwing down dunks and laughing with Aaron Wheeler.

Haarms, who scored a career-high 18 points in that win over the Nittany Lions, started again Tuesday. Indiana countered with its "big" lineup — using Juwan Morgan at the 4 and De'Ron Davis at the 5. Davis played only three minutes of the teams' Jan. 19 meeting at Mackey Arena.

Williams and Haarms more or less shared the first-half minutes evenly. But it was the 7-3 redshirt sophomore from the The Netherlands who assured his status as a villain in the rivalry for the near future.

CLOSE

The Boilermakers coach on a last-second win to move into first place in the Big Ten Conference.
Nathan Baird, jconline.com

He and Davis were assessed a double foul in the first half when they became entangled in the lane on a rebound attempt. The Assembly Hall crowd booed him every time he touched the ball the rest of the night, adding an "(expletive) you Haarms," in unison, on occasion.

With 13:36 remaining in the game things got chippy again under the basket. Haarms was called for both a common foul against Davis and a technical foul and went to the bench with four fouls. That opened the door for more production from Morgan and Davis.